A poignant tribute to victims

Memorial mass, multi-faith prayer mark 10th year of disaster

December 27, 2014 12:05 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 11:06 am IST - VELANKANNI:

Mourners paying homage to the victims at Tsunami Memorial at Velankanni on Friday. Photo: M. Srinath

Mourners paying homage to the victims at Tsunami Memorial at Velankanni on Friday. Photo: M. Srinath

Misty eyes, praying lips, and sullen faces masked the minds of mourners brooding over lingering memories of the colossal loss suffered when tsunami struck the Nagapattinam coastline this day exactly a decade back, as they marched silently from the Shrine Basilica to the Tsunami Memorial at Velankanni on Friday.

Hundreds of mourners from varied social strata assembled at the ground zero at Velankanni where they had lost their near and dear ones when huge tidal waves swept away men, women, and children to death on January 26, 2004.

Their religiosity melting away, most of them then proceeded to the Shrine Basilica where a memorial mass for the thousands of known and the unknown tsunami victims was held in the morning.

From near the Basilica, clergymen led a silent march to the Tsunami Memorial a couple of kilometres away on the East Coast Road. Priests, nuns, laity, Hindus, Muslims and the irreligionists, and even Ayyappa devotees, across age groups, all sporting black ribbon walked in silence ruminating on the dead.

Wreath

As the procession reached the memorial, a wreath was placed at the base of the memorial tower on behalf of the Church followed by a crisp tri-religious prayer when Hindu, Christian, and Muslim scriptures were read glorifying the victims, holding out assurances that their souls would get redemption and peace.

An entreaty, to an unnamed God, to provide everlasting comfort to the dead was sung in chorus by the mourners followed by a short sermon by a church priest who prayed for peace for those dead and comfort for the losers alive.

As the formal ceremonies ended, individuals who had lost their dear ones were seen offering floral tributes and lighting candles all round the memorial underneath which lay buried hundreds of known and unknown victims of tsunami 2004. Many could hardly hold back their tears and wept as memories of their dear dead ones swept across their minds.

“Every year on the tsunami anniversary I return with my wife to remember and pay homage to my sister who was washed away by the tidal wave that fateful day,” says saffron-clad T.Pandiaraj of Sivagangai district whose plan to undertake the Sabarimala pilgrimage later this month did not come in the way of his visit to Velankanni for the memorial meet.

Many like him had made it a point to come from as far as Kochi, Kannur, Shimoga, and Chennai. A large number of local survivors too participated in the march.

As the crowd melted away, in a corner of the memorial sat an aged lady Marukridayee of Velankanni, mumbling inaudibly that the food she had prepared for her grandchildren went waste as the huge wave came ashore to take them away, not to school but to be with the Lord.

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